Obtaining a Social Anxiety Diagnosis
Obtaining a social anxiety diagnosis can often be a difficult proposition, due to the fact that there are several main causes for the disorder.
Emotional and physical factors can both lie at the heart of Social Anxiety Disorder, as can a combination of the two.
For that reason, there are specific steps required in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, with an eye toward determining the root causes of your anxiety.
To obtain an accurate social anxiety diagnosis, you should begin by seeking the guidance of a qualified medical professional.
Your physician will need to ask some very specific questions about the social situations that cause you to feel anxiety, as well as how the disorder manifest itself in your particular case.
For example, the doctor may ask you whether your symptoms are largely emotional, or whether they manifest themselves in outward physical responses like an accelerated heartbeat or difficulty in breathing.
In addition, you will be queried on habits such as tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine usage, as well as family medical history.
Because there are several specific types of disorder, obtaining a diagnosis is not always an easy task for doctors.
Many of the milder symptoms of the condition are almost indistinguishable from the type of shyness experienced by many people in unfamiliar settings - sweaty palms and a nervous feeling in the stomach, for example.
Not every type of worry or discomfort is necessarily Social Anxiety Disorder, so doctors need as much information about both trigger situations and the scope of negative reactions to make a proper determination.
Obtaining a diagnosis is the first step to learning to manage the disorder.
While it is sometimes difficult to distinguish social anxiety from shyness, or even to determine the exact type of social anxiety that the patient is experiencing, a qualified medical professional can be of invaluable assistance in helping to narrow down the root causes of any fear of social interaction.
As with most conditions, a proper diagnosis is the first and most important step on the path to managing the condition, and moving toward a more fulfilling life.
Emotional and physical factors can both lie at the heart of Social Anxiety Disorder, as can a combination of the two.
For that reason, there are specific steps required in obtaining an accurate diagnosis, with an eye toward determining the root causes of your anxiety.
To obtain an accurate social anxiety diagnosis, you should begin by seeking the guidance of a qualified medical professional.
Your physician will need to ask some very specific questions about the social situations that cause you to feel anxiety, as well as how the disorder manifest itself in your particular case.
For example, the doctor may ask you whether your symptoms are largely emotional, or whether they manifest themselves in outward physical responses like an accelerated heartbeat or difficulty in breathing.
In addition, you will be queried on habits such as tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine usage, as well as family medical history.
Because there are several specific types of disorder, obtaining a diagnosis is not always an easy task for doctors.
Many of the milder symptoms of the condition are almost indistinguishable from the type of shyness experienced by many people in unfamiliar settings - sweaty palms and a nervous feeling in the stomach, for example.
Not every type of worry or discomfort is necessarily Social Anxiety Disorder, so doctors need as much information about both trigger situations and the scope of negative reactions to make a proper determination.
Obtaining a diagnosis is the first step to learning to manage the disorder.
While it is sometimes difficult to distinguish social anxiety from shyness, or even to determine the exact type of social anxiety that the patient is experiencing, a qualified medical professional can be of invaluable assistance in helping to narrow down the root causes of any fear of social interaction.
As with most conditions, a proper diagnosis is the first and most important step on the path to managing the condition, and moving toward a more fulfilling life.